Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Boy Scouts of America To Admit Openly Gay Scouts

Big, big news out of Texas, where the Boy Scouts of America have lifted the ban on membership based on sexual orientation, allowing for openly gay scouts to join for the first time in the organization's history.

"The resolution also reinforces that Scouting is a youth program, and any sexual conduct, whether heterosexual or homosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting," the 103-year-old organization said in a statement.

The BSA said there are no plans for further review of the issue.

"The Boy Scouts of America will not sacrifice its mission, or the youth served by the movement, by allowing the organization to be consumed by a single, divisive, and unresolved societal issue," it said.

Predictably, there are large swaths of the country now unbelievably offended by this decision:

Unfortunately for them, they're part of a minority who appear to be content to choke on the dust of history. Which is cool for them I guess.

What remains to be seen is how openly gay scouts will react when they age out of the organization and are left unable to remain part of an association that they've taken part in since they were children.

Congratulations, Boy Scouts of America — you've only got a little further to go.